, 1887-02-03

Literature.
The following essay was read at the col
lego exercises Friday by Osmer Abbott,
and is published by request;
In writing about subject II is some
times best to know something about 1t.
To discover what kind OF literature could
justly be called popular, in Spokane Fails
| have consulted our book sellers. They
say the most popular works are those OF
/ such authors as "The Duchess" "The
Countess" Bertha NJ. Clay and Hugh
Conway. These stories are all love stories
After glancing through many ofthem and
noting their peculiartles, chose "Dick's
Sweetheart" by The Duchess, as spec,-
men, because it SCENE to me one OF the
best. The plot OF that story is about as
follows. A very young and, OF course,
extremely beautiful lady, comes home to
England from the continent. ~ nand-
some young man, her nearest neighbor,
falls In love at sight, meets her at party
in two days, on the third proposes and is
accepted. Things 20 on happily fora
while till his mother steps. In, ana after
trying to make him break tho match,
which OF course he won't 90, she
makes the girl believe 1t Is her duty TO
break with HIM. This the poor g'ri does
by running away, walking eight or ten
miles, and finally falling sick in the house
OF her own father, who thought she. was
dead. and who proved to be the uncle OF
her beau. The fellow, Dick, finds her
after II month or so and they are soon
married. The wicked mother Is punished
by losing all her possessions; which, 1t
seems, really belonged TO the grPs rather,
Dicks uncle. OF course Dick becomes the
helr and everything Is lovely. rms Is
the regular course OF love stories. Given
few particulars about the commences
,yit IA ppr
the rest The heroine is always beauti-
ful and generally slight and fair. The
nero is always handsome, we'll built
erect, strong and calm, quite quiet, out
with strong under current or feclliE,
which sometimes breaks forth like tor
rent, sweeping even ythlng before II. Can
you imagine horO either ugly or weak?
The idea is preposterous. These two, hero
and heroine are all the characters heces-
sHry for tie story. Next, they must fnll
IN love with each other, this generally
happens ut first sight. Then in some way
or other they must be sepai ated, must snf.
fer cScruciating torture-he must rage ana
tear his hair, she must weep and fade
away to II shadow, and then Just before
sne dies he, In some way, ONefcoineS the
diiiiculty, and then the roses come
back to her cheeks, and they get so they
can take their meals regularly again, and
! they get married aud are, OF course, for
ever happy. You see that love Is the
principal, the all absorbing element IN the
story. There is nothing else in the story:
no delineation of character tnat Weulo
giNea picture OF noble manhood or Woin-
anhoo1. No beauty of language which
would improve the style OF the reader.
M grand ideas to fill the soul and eNalt
the purpose. NO christian fath able to
move. to better thought and noDler aspira-
tion. No description Of the beautiful, the
noble, the sublime in nature, NO history
-nothing but love. And that not the
grand self-sacrificing love OF manhood and
woinanhood, but the pettish selhsh pas
sion Of boys and girls. And this Is the
popular literature Of our Guy. Ihese are
the books over which our boys ana girls,
our young men and maidens, spend the
precious moments OF their youth.
And now what ~ the effect OF perusing
such works as this? In the first place
they fill the minds Of their readers with
ioolishness. A gentleman once found
high in his class as he ought, and he dis
covered at the same time That the boy was
reading u great many of these cheap love
stories. He spoke to him about 1t and the
boy said: "Why father, the stories are
not bad--they have no immoral teachings
John" said his father, 'take that bas-
"Iay tn, apples ON the table and ill the
basket with chips" He did u.
Now put the apples back M
II can't"
"Whyp"
"Because the basket is full Of chips
And that IL the idea exactly. IL these
love stories fill our minds there VIII pe no
room for better things. II we occupy our
time reading them we VIII have no une
Tor other matters infinitely more ihpor'-
ant.
/ don't wish it to be thought that OPP
pose all novel reading have read many